On April 10, 2017, the Seattle City Council voted in favor of upzoning South Lake Union and Downtown. Councilmember Herbold introduced an amendment to increase the pitiful 2.1% affordable housing requirement included in the bill to 5%. This should have been a straightforward yes vote for a City Council that claims to be progressive. And even 5% […]

On January 17, 2017, I sent a letter to Washington State House Speaker Frank Chopp and the House Local Government Committee, calling on them to reject HB 1082, an unjust bill that would have prohibited multiplicities from enacting commercial rent control. Cities like Seattle, where small businesses and working families face skyrocketing rents, need to […]

On January 17, 2017, I sent the following letter to House Speaker Frank Chopp and the House Local Government Committee, calling on them to reject HB 1082, an unjust bill that would prohibit commercial rent control. They should instead use their time to finally repeal RCW 35.21.830, the State’s ban on rent control. January 17, 2017 Dear House Speaker […]

On December 12, after nearly a 1/2 year of struggle by Washington CAN and tenants’ rights advocates, the Seattle City Council passed our move-in fees legislation, 8-0! My remarks motivating the council bill below. I am excited to introduce again this ordinance that would limit the exorbitant move-in fees that tenants are expected to pay in […]

On December 9, 2016, 26 community, labor, and faith organizations sent a letter to the Seattle City Council and Ed Murray, asking them to pass our move-in fee reform legislation without exempting any landlords or passing other amendments that weaken the legislation. The full letter can be read below. Dear Members of Seattle City Council and […]

Dear fellow housing justices advocates, Congratulations to you all! Our affordable housing movement scored a major victory yesterday! We forced the City Council to approve $29 million for affordable housing in the 2017-2018 Seattle budget.  Let’s be clear: We won this because we built our Coalition and a movement. We made it impossible for corporate […]

Dear fellow housing justice advocates, Thank you so much for all of your great work on the Build 1,000 Homes campaign! In the last two weeks, our coalition of 65-plus organizations has called, emailed, and met with City Councilmembers to urge them to Build 1,000 Homes. We have succeeded in showing the Council that there […]

On October 25, the Church Council of Greater Seattle led a coalition of 18 congregations and 68 faith leaders calling on Councilmembers to support the growing campaign to build 1,000 homes, and to vote YES when the budget amendment comes before Council. Read their letter (PDF) below. For the full list of sponsors, click here. Learn more […]

The Build 1,000 Homes Coalition keeps growing! From the People’s Budget Town Hall to the public hearings on the budget, one thing is clear: When ordinary people in Seattle have the opportunity to weigh in on the budget, they point to the urgent need for affordable housing and human services. In October, grassroots organizers rallied around […]

From the People’s Budget Town Hall to the public hearings on the budget, one thing is clear: When ordinary people in Seattle have the opportunity to weigh in on the budget, they point to the urgent need for affordable housing and human services. At the heart of our demands is an amendment to reallocate the $160 million […]